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Updated Collaboration Tool Debuts for Aerospace and Defense Supply Chain
Exostar re-architects ForumPass to leverage and extend Microsoft Office SharePoint Server with capabilities to securely share data across the A&D supply network
Herndon, VA — September 22, 2008 — Aerospace and defense industry supply chain solution provider Exostar has announced the general availability of its ForumPass4 product, which offers business tools for sharing information internally and with their partners, suppliers, customers and other third-parties to ensure that complex programs and projects with global constituencies remain on schedule and on budget, while sensitive documents and data receive protection.
The launch of ForumPass4 is the culmination of an extensive beta test and field trial that involved more than 5,700 users, Exostar said. Over 170 companies worldwide have actively participated in the process, including Rolls-Royce and BAE Systems.
"ForumPass4 truly delivers the functionality and security required for collaboration in the A&D ecosystem," said Richard Harris, director of information management and infrastructure programs at Rolls-Royce. "Our global footprint makes it imperative for us to focus travel where it adds the most value, yet we cannot afford to sacrifice productivity. ForumPass4 empowers our personnel to remotely coordinate with team members inside and outside the organization, as well as across multiple projects, with great clarity and efficiency. We intend to expand the scope of ForumPass4 to make it available to users throughout the company and our partners."
Leveraging SharePoint Server
Exostar said that ForumPass4 represents more than a capabilities upgrade from ForumPass3 and prior versions of the product. The new solution has been completely re-architected to encapsulate Microsoft Office SharePoint Server, which is becoming a de facto standard for collaboration. ForumPass4 presents the familiar look-and-feel of SharePoint and offers many of its best features, but it also includes enhancements critical to cost-effective, secure interactions across the extended value chain, the solution provider said.
Controlled access through single sign-on to ForumPass4 and other applications eliminates multiple logins. Based on the desired level of security, users gain access by username/password, digital certificate, medium level of assurance digital certificate or restricted group attributes. Additional security is available through end-to-end data encryption and the establishment of sensitive or restricted sites.
Once users have entered ForumPass4, they can take advantage of capabilities not found in an enterprise deployment of SharePoint or other collaboration tools. The product's "QuickStart" package draws on Exostar's extensive experience with A&D use cases to promote the rapid creation of an optimized operating environment, including setting up groups, configuring libraries and fine-tuning calendar functionality.
Pre-built A&D-centric workflow templates for reviews, approvals, collection of feedback, and notifications capture and automate best practices for crucial business processes that further speed deployment. And ForumPass4's "MyWorkspace" feature optimizes productivity by presenting meetings, tasks, alerts, discussions and so on across all relevant projects in a single location, the solution provider said.
Because ForumPass4 is delivered via a software-as-a-service, hosted deployment model, companies can capitalize on immediate solution availability and published service level agreements to minimize total cost of ownership and maximize return on investment. Exostar handles all product maintenance and upgrades, service and support, and even on-boarding services to rapidly incorporate new users, allowing firms to devote their attention to successful program execution, according to the solution provider.
"A&D has experienced a paradigm shift over the past few years which has placed a greater requirement on flexible, secure information sharing across the extended ecosystem," said Kevin Lowdermilk, Exostar president and CEO. "To meet this need, we rebuilt ForumPass from the ground up so that it would serve our customers well over the long haul. We're confident we've created a product that enables our customers and their constituents to collaborate efficiently, effectively, and securely."
The launch of ForumPass4 is the culmination of an extensive beta test and field trial that involved more than 5,700 users, Exostar said. Over 170 companies worldwide have actively participated in the process, including Rolls-Royce and BAE Systems.
"ForumPass4 truly delivers the functionality and security required for collaboration in the A&D ecosystem," said Richard Harris, director of information management and infrastructure programs at Rolls-Royce. "Our global footprint makes it imperative for us to focus travel where it adds the most value, yet we cannot afford to sacrifice productivity. ForumPass4 empowers our personnel to remotely coordinate with team members inside and outside the organization, as well as across multiple projects, with great clarity and efficiency. We intend to expand the scope of ForumPass4 to make it available to users throughout the company and our partners."
Leveraging SharePoint Server
Exostar said that ForumPass4 represents more than a capabilities upgrade from ForumPass3 and prior versions of the product. The new solution has been completely re-architected to encapsulate Microsoft Office SharePoint Server, which is becoming a de facto standard for collaboration. ForumPass4 presents the familiar look-and-feel of SharePoint and offers many of its best features, but it also includes enhancements critical to cost-effective, secure interactions across the extended value chain, the solution provider said.
Controlled access through single sign-on to ForumPass4 and other applications eliminates multiple logins. Based on the desired level of security, users gain access by username/password, digital certificate, medium level of assurance digital certificate or restricted group attributes. Additional security is available through end-to-end data encryption and the establishment of sensitive or restricted sites.
Once users have entered ForumPass4, they can take advantage of capabilities not found in an enterprise deployment of SharePoint or other collaboration tools. The product's "QuickStart" package draws on Exostar's extensive experience with A&D use cases to promote the rapid creation of an optimized operating environment, including setting up groups, configuring libraries and fine-tuning calendar functionality.
Pre-built A&D-centric workflow templates for reviews, approvals, collection of feedback, and notifications capture and automate best practices for crucial business processes that further speed deployment. And ForumPass4's "MyWorkspace" feature optimizes productivity by presenting meetings, tasks, alerts, discussions and so on across all relevant projects in a single location, the solution provider said.
Because ForumPass4 is delivered via a software-as-a-service, hosted deployment model, companies can capitalize on immediate solution availability and published service level agreements to minimize total cost of ownership and maximize return on investment. Exostar handles all product maintenance and upgrades, service and support, and even on-boarding services to rapidly incorporate new users, allowing firms to devote their attention to successful program execution, according to the solution provider.
"A&D has experienced a paradigm shift over the past few years which has placed a greater requirement on flexible, secure information sharing across the extended ecosystem," said Kevin Lowdermilk, Exostar president and CEO. "To meet this need, we rebuilt ForumPass from the ground up so that it would serve our customers well over the long haul. We're confident we've created a product that enables our customers and their constituents to collaborate efficiently, effectively, and securely."
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